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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 15, 2006 13:31:30 GMT
Wow, efficient! March's Q&As to James on his website are posted HEREJames Answers Your Questions! Here is this month's session. Enjoy!
From what I've read, you did a number of things in your theater days that were more behind-the-scenes. What were some of those jobs?
When you produce non-profit theater you do everything behind-the-scenes. You build and design props, design and build costumes and sets, design and run lighting systems, take tickets, as well as direct, produce and act. The reason is that you can’t afford to pay very much money to anyone and my business partner and I didn’t want to share power so we did it all ourselves. It was the hardest thing I’ve done and maybe the best.
Which of your recorded songs came out the closest to what you actually heard in your head when you were writing it?
The best one was the GOTR version of “Over Now” which was not recorded but performed live on tour. It had a lopping lead guitar by Charlie DeMars and a hesitant base line by Kevin McPherson. It was exactly the haunting quality I hoped for. People said they could hear the ocean, which is what I wanted.
Is it difficult for an actor to watch a film or a play and get lost in the story? Or do you find yourself analyzing it as you watch?
I think everybody - actors, directors, prop masters - want to get lost in a movie. So if it’s good, we do. We’re like little kids waiting for a good story. If the story is good enough, we’ll definitely go.
What's the latest on your new CD? Is it still in the works or is it on the back burner while you focus on acting?
I am still writing songs. I am infecting myself with the blues. I’ve got three new blues songs I’m working on, but right now I am trying to find work in the rough tempest of LA’s pilot season. The waves are high and my boat is small but I am rowing like mad. If nothing else, my arms are getting stronger!
What storylines would you have expected/enjoyed for Spike if there had been a Season 6 of Angel?
I would have liked to have just continued with the themes started in Season 5, particularly in the “Destiny” and “The Girl in Question” episodes. Spike and Angel are on similar journeys, having been ruthless killers and trying to become men. It’s both funny and interesting to see how they approach their redemption. In this way, Spike would have been a good doppelganger for Angel.
Please Note: Because so many people asked identical or nearly identical questions, we felt the simplest and most equitable solution would be to keep the questions anonymous. Thanks for understanding.
Next session: April 15
Don't forget to always check the FAQ before submitting. Your question might already be answered there!
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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 15, 2006 13:36:10 GMT
Heh, we were just talking about the possibility of a new CD last night. The way James describes focusing on acting right now sounds daunting, but I'm sure he'll prevail And the way he talks about theatre has me misty eyed
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Allison
Mitch Brand
yummy....
Posts: 367
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Post by Allison on Mar 15, 2006 14:18:25 GMT
Wow that was fast. I was hoping for a new cd.....
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Post by Cyrus on Mar 15, 2006 17:15:55 GMT
SPANGEL!
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Allison
Mitch Brand
yummy....
Posts: 367
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Post by Allison on Mar 15, 2006 19:37:49 GMT
LMFAO! Spangal!! You crack me up!
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Post by nightnurse on Mar 15, 2006 23:48:43 GMT
New blues songs *is happy* ;D
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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 16, 2006 0:35:04 GMT
*stares at Allison*
And what's so funny about that?!
Yeah, ironic that the blues makes us happy ;D
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Post by PokerKitten on Apr 15, 2006 12:28:08 GMT
Here is this month's session. Enjoy! (He even threw in an extra this month!)
Do you have any advice for people who suffer from stage fright/public speaking? Stage fright is a very natural reaction - everyone has it. In the animal world, creatures only stare at each other when thinking of eating each other, so it's natural to run away. But, as a good acting teacher once told me, "acting is being private in public." How would you describe yourself in three words and why those three? I'm just getting to know myself. I'm no where near to being concise about it yet. I can't define myself. Wait a minute - I'm angry, I'm funny and I'm trying. What did you think of Spike's growing evolution on Buffy and how do you feel the material challenged you as an actor? They used me as needed on Buffy. If they needed a wacky neighbor, they used me. If they needed a villain, they used me. If they needed a lover, they used me that way. It was my job to reconcile it all into one character and that was the challenge. You've played in clubs that buzz with high energy, but also are filled with loud people who talk and laugh all through your performance - and you've played in the quieter environments where the audience is seated, but who enjoy your performance with the hush of a true listening audience. As an audience member, I've experienced the pros and cons of both loud and quiet audiences - as an artist, which do you feel most connects your art with your audience and do you prefer one over the other? I love being able to hear myself clearly in a quiet house so I can really tell if I'm sucking or not. But really my job is to give permission for the audience to exalt and lose control. I also felt that we got a little higher with the louder crowd. Do you think that Shakespeare's plays have been modernized and performed so much that it would be hard to direct or perform in an original adaptation without the audience saying they've seen it before? How much pressure is on the actors and director to create an exciting and original piece of theatre? I always argue for not straying from the text. I don't like Shakespeare productions on Mars! Romeo and Juliet should be set in Verona and at the time dictated by Shakespeare. Shakespeare had a 700 year history to draw from, he had good reason to choose the places and times he did. I feel no pressure to come up with something original but rather to just be true to Bill Shakespeare. I am a slave to Shakespeare's original intention! Not really referring to historical or well-known figures, but rather just ordinary, average people, what in your opinion makes an individual particularly brave or courageous? Overcoming their fears. All heroes quake with fear, they just choose to keep on going. Next session: May 15
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Post by PokerKitten on Apr 15, 2006 12:36:22 GMT
I can't say as I agree with him about Shakespeare. Will had to work with minimum props and just contemporary costumes, so the audience was just told "We're here, and in such and such a time" in the text, but the audience wouldn't necessarily have known it otherwise. The themes were the important things and remain so. I have a feeling if he were around now he'd be writing timeless and extraordinary movies and plays for the BBC and would have exploited everything available to him... Then again he might be toiling away in regional theatre, but I think he'd be too big and ambitious for that. He was a businessman too, not just a writer and a thesp.
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Post by marilyn on Apr 15, 2006 23:03:31 GMT
Thanks for bringing that over, PK! I keep waiting to see if my question shows up, but I only sent it a couple of weeks ago, so maybe it still has a chance.... I'll tell you if I see it, but otherwise my lipz are zipped, lol! I like his answer to the second question....
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Post by PokerKitten on May 14, 2006 20:18:27 GMT
Oooh, intriguing M The next Q&A is going to be late. This was posted at JM's site today: Update: The May 15 Q&A has been postponed until May 25. Sincere apologies for the delay.
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Post by PokerKitten on May 20, 2006 12:32:57 GMT
We are glad to announce that the Q&A will be posted on May 21, instead of the 25th as originally thought. Sorry we had a little delay this month but we'll be back on track in June.
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Post by PokerKitten on May 21, 2006 13:26:19 GMT
And here it is:
You do such a beautiful job portraying the women in the Dresden audio books. How did you approach these characters emotionally and vocally?
Emotionally it's very easy to portray a woman because women are human beings just like me, so there's not a big need to change the internal. That's the lesson that Shakespeare taught me early on. Shakespeare wrote great women because he wrote great human beings and then cast great transvestites to play them.
Can you explain the different responsibilities of a manager, an agent, and a publicist, and do you have one of each?
An agent gets you the auditions and opportunities. A manager evaluates the opportunities and helps oversee the total career. A publicist handles your image in all forms of the public eye. Yes, I do have all of these people in my professional life.
In season 5 of Angel, Joss was excited about an episode that had Spike in a dress. He even references it in his WB letter on their website. But in the final version of the episode, the scene wasn't included. Can you tell us if it was filmed and if so, why it wasn't included. If it wasn't filmed, do you have any idea why?
The reason was that Steve DeKnight and I were drowning in the toilet trying to complete this episode (I can't remember the title - the only one he directed that year). I tried to make it work but it would have doubled the amount of work that day to have my character change from the black coat to a dress. Pitifully, it was a money issue.
I recently saw a play in a restored theater that is over 150 years old and I felt a strong sense of its history and of all the audiences who had gone before. Does a certain venue or environment have any influence on acting or are you more concerned with your preparation and the people you are collaborating with creating a world within that environment, but not necessarily connected to it.
Every good director respects the space that he is working in. The same play can be changed radically by taking it on the road into different spaces. My favorites, like most actors, are the old spaces because you are right - all the people have left their mark on that space. You can almost smell them. Sometimes you see their ghosts. (Corny but true)
Describe your average day. For example, what did you do today?
I have no average day. At least 3-4 times a month I wake up in a different place than the day before. Within the past week I've been in L.A., Northern California, and Germany. I bought a new home, but still don't feel moved in. I'm looking forward to having an average day.
What does "seven lonely oceans" refer to in your song "Bad?" I've never really understood that lyric.
I was trying to find a phrase that described my lover's deep pain and beautiful mystery. The ocean is probably the most recurring image in all of my songs. I talk about that a lot.
You said in one interview that you believed Shakespeare believed in equality, that he was very modern-minded when it came to the relations between men and women. How then do you interpret "Taming of the Shrew"?
Kate is not a shrew. She's just smarter than everyone else. She's wiser than everyone else and cannot find her equal until Petruchio shows up. He is her equal and it's delightful to watch him prove that - it's a happy ending to watch two people find their equals. Next session: June 15
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Post by PokerKitten on May 21, 2006 13:36:14 GMT
Great questions this month, and great answers ;D Shrew hasn't always been played that way, but it works beautifully when it is (and I think I even James might have appreciated the Beeb's Shakespeare Re: Told version last year ) That Angel ep was Hellbound, right? I loved it just the way it was. No dress required. The confusion, insecurity, humiliation, and eventual winning through all were lovely enough. So, no more agonising over whether he has an agent again, right?
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Post by Teebee on May 21, 2006 20:54:48 GMT
Couldn't agree more PK ;D ;D and comments on my fav Shakey piece too ;D
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 15, 2006 12:12:50 GMT
Here's June's:
Here is this month's session. We like to toss in fun questions to balance out the more serious in tone - people really enjoy seeing the "lighter" side of James and he seems to get a kick out it too.
What do you do when you find yourself working with an actor who gives you nothing to play against?
Good question. Unfortunately there is no other fix than to take what the actor is giving you. You can’t pretend they are doing something else. You just have to again cleave to your objective and try to wring something out of that person no matter how boring they might be.
Spike was written as being a nit with both women and diabolical plan execution. But he seemed to be an intuitive and shrewd observer of people when it came to calling them on their crap, as in the "you'll never be friends" speech to Buffy and Angel, knowing just how to set the Scoobies against each other, or understanding that Buffy was really mad at herself when she played “kick the Spike.” Can you talk about that contradiction in his personality, how it was written and how you decided to play it?
I love contradictions in characters and you are right - sometimes Spike would seem very dim and sometimes he would border on wise. But I recognize myself in that too.
Do you believe in fate or do you prefer feeling in control of your own destiny?
I don’t believe in fate but I do not believe that anyone is at all in control of anything in their lives, much less their own destiny. We are in the middle of a beautiful, terrifying mystery and we are just lucky that the earth is being kind to us just now.
When directing/playing Macbeth, is it your intention to make the audience sympathize with the main character?
That is always the intention of story-telling. One hopefully always sympathizes with the lead in a play. I think Shakespeare wanted us to recognize that Macbeth is just like us even when he takes himself into hell. He goes to hell because he is ambitious, but who amongst us isn’t?
Why did you change the title of "Runaway" to "No Promises?"
(Laughs) Because everyone kept singing the chorus. I keep hearing people singing “please, no promises.”
When you write a new song, does it come from an idea that you have, or an emotion? Along those same lines, if you absolutely had to choose, would you prefer a project that made the audience feel or made them think?
In the world of music it's definitely how you make them feel. I can name 25 albums that have had a major impact on how I view the world, but that all started from an emotional truth that the music spoke to. Music runs afoul when it gets too intellectual. If you compare Radiohead's "Hail to the Thief" to Marvin Gaye's 1970's protest album "What's Going On" you'll see what I mean. Marvin got to the simple emotional truth about war's ability to smash love and is a better anti-war statement than Radiohead has yet devised. If you look at the Sex Pistol's monster album, "Never Mind the Bollocks", you find an incendiary treatise on the sustained class warfare that the rich have been waging on the working class in England for as long as anyone can remember, yet they made that point in a simple screaming, raging statement "No future for me!"
If we looked in your refrigerator, what would we see?
(Laughs) Orange juice, milk, Eggo Waffles, tortellini and old chicken (inedible) Um, um, um... and fruits which are looking questionable.
Next session: July 15
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 15, 2006 12:14:33 GMT
Mmm, tortellini. I think it's time for lunch Not sure the earth is being all that kind to us, and we certainly ain't being kind to it. I remember my auntie making me return the copy of Never Mind The Bollocks that my cousin had asked for as a birthday present I'm sure I didn't tape it first for me...
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Post by nightnurse on Jun 21, 2006 0:43:29 GMT
Good questions this month, I really like the music one ...especially the mention of Marvin Gaye's 'Whats Going On' one of my all time favourites ;D
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 21, 2006 17:16:27 GMT
Please don't ask that one on the QM! ;D
*throws a blanket over the stiffie question*
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Post by PokerKitten on Jun 21, 2006 23:15:59 GMT
I only said not to ask the date question because Mercedes will be there. And if his girl is too it could be a tad embarrassing for the lad ;D
Oh, and i've been thinking about the punk comments and what James says is probably how historians do/will view it. And to a certain extent the class war thing is true. But to me and my mates at the time it was about being anti-establishment, doing your own thing and believing - knowing - it was as valid as any damn thing anyone else did.
And GioGio's fave band sum it up nicely:
Punk was rotten, punk was vicious Always being non-ambitious Punk was a piss-up, punk was a punch-up Picking your nose and chucking your lunch up Punk was obnoxious, punk was obscene Having a pop at our dear queen Punk was a twisted, tasteless prick Punk was a pip through her majesty's lip We never took shit from no one We just didn't give a fuck If you didn't like our music That was just your bloody hard luck -Toten Hosen "Carnival in Rio"
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